Feigned outrage just isn't that convincing anymore. It's tough to have any sympathy towards No Doubt or their attorneys. I would have so much more respect for lawyers if they could just tell it like it is. Why can't Deixler just say, "I know it sounds stupid, and it's barely even an issue, but there's a chance that we could win a few million bucks from this whole avatar thing, so I figured it's worth a shot. Oh and by the way, the people at Activision are a bunch of a-holes."
Love your recent MGS articles. I'll never get tired of discussing the series. I also had similar revelations about MGS2 upon revisiting it after playing MGS4. Raiden really is a deep, interesting character, and it took some time for me to realize that as well (though his banter with Rose is still just as nauseating as it was back in 2001).
While I think that the premise of what to keep and what to toss from each entry in the MGS series is a terrific idea, and I agree with nearly everything you have here, I must respectfully disagree with your assessment of Volgin. First and foremost, Volgin is one of my favorite villains of all time. Sure, he's not the most complex character in the series, but man is he ruthless. He's not afraid to nuke his own people just to increase tension between the US and Russia or torture young women for his own sadistic pleasure. I remember the first time I watched as Snake sees Volgin electrocute EVA from afar so much that her stockings melted. I cringed. I was emotional. I didn't want to just kill Volgin - I wanted to make him suffer. But little did I know the hardships Snake would have to endure at Volgin's hands before finally taking him down. And of course, every time you think he's finished, he comes back stronger and crazier than ever. Again, Volgin may be one-dimensional, but with plenty of ambiguous "villains" like Ocelot, EVA and The Boss who keep you guessing the whole way through, it's nice to have a character like Volgin that you just love to hate.
Also, not gonna spend as much time on this one, but would love to "keep" Cam Clarke, the voice of Liquid from MGS1-2. Patrick Zimmerman does a fantastic job as both Revolver Ocelot and Liquid Ocelot, but no one screams "SNAAAAAKE!!!" as well as Cam Clarke. Anyway, just my two cents - hope to read more MGS articles from you in the near future!
Eli Roth actually said a few years ago that focus groups were ruining cinema, and I believe the same is true for video games. Basically, one could spend years on a project, just to have the end result changed drastically just because some clueless teenager doesn't "get it." Remember that both the movie and video game industries are just that - industries designed to make money. Oftentimes executives will dumb down a product so that it will appeal to the lowest common denominators and (usually) ensure the biggest payoff.This is why I'm always so happy to hear about games that do things differently and are commercial successes. Demon's Souls is a terrific game that never would have come about by listening to fans (I can't imagine anyone asking for a game to implement player death as a core game mechanic). I personally can talk for hours about aspects of games that I love, but that would simply be a rehash of what's already been done. We need to step back and let the developers be in charge of innovation."If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse." -Henry Ford
I like that GameSpot is trying to write more opinion-based articles and editorials. It gives us more to read than just reviews and helps create thoughtful discussions about games. Hopefully with a bit more practice they'll get better at it.
Maxwell seemed strangely passive and lethargic during the discussion. You can't imagine how pumped I would be if I had the chance to play a demo of Skyrim!
It's great to see that the MGS series is getting lots of love. While Liquid Snake and Revolver Ocelot are two of my favorite characters, I have to say that Colonel Volgin from MGS3 is my favorite villain (SPOILERS AHEAD). I mean, you really had no choice but to loathe the guy. He nuked Soviet Russia, his own country, and shifts the blame onto the US. His actions forced The Boss to play the bad guy, leading Snake to eventually kill his mentor. He tortured and abused EVA, once while Snake helplessly watched from afar (I remember my blood boiling at that scene.) He beat Snake into a bloody pulp and tortured him, too. He could conduct electricity throughout his body and kept a relentless pursuit, even after you swore you'd killed him for the 5th time. Oh, and he had the hots for a Russian officer that looked exactly like Raiden. If that's not evil, then I don't know what is!
Snake, this is Campbell. We've selected you for this mission because you're an expert in infiltration and espionage. Your combat experience is second to none. You've saved the world countless times from weapons of mass destruction and the maniacal villains that command them. With that in mind, be sure to push the triangle button if you want to climb up or down a ladder.
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